UNIPALERMO
UNIPALERMO
The University of Palermo is an Italian state university founded in 1806. It was established by King Ferdinand III of Bourbon, who granted it university status in 1805. Within the university, the Ecology Laboratory of the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences carries out research based on the following main Research Lines and Methodologies:
- Experimental design, simulation, and advanced statistical analysis
- (Methods: GMAV, MATLAB, METAWIN, ORIGIN, PRIMER, SIGMAPLOT, Statistica)
- Meta-analytic approaches for reviews on the effects of natural and anthropogenic variability on ecological processes
- (Methods: quantitative reviewing, meta-statistics)
- Physiological performance of filter-feeding organisms in the field and in mesocosms, under varying physical factors (temperature, irradiance), chemical factors (salinity), and trophic factors (food availability)
- (Methods: clearance rate [Coulter Counter], respiration rate [Strathkelvin], excretion rate [colorimetric], heart rate [non-invasive cardio-plethysmographic techniques])
- Behavioral changes in coastal species exposed to noise disturbance, both in natural environments and in the laboratory
- (Methods: quantitative behavioral analysis [image analysis], acoustic analysis [hydrophones, acoustic amplifiers, sound analysis])
- Structure and dynamics of coastal fish and invertebrate populations
- (Methods: biometry, gravimetric method, secondary production, otolith analysis, gonad analysis)
- Food availability and organic matter flux through marine food webs
- (Methods: chlorophyll-a [colorimetric], total organic matter [gravimetric], lipids, carbohydrates and proteins [colorimetric], stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen [data processing and interpretation only])
Role of UNIPALERMO
- Experimental measurements of the ecosystem services provided by Posidonia oceanica through the development of indicators based on experimental measurements of species and habitat ecosystem functionality; functional measurements on local seagrass meadows (benthic chambers) and environmental parameters needed to determine the relationship between ecological functions and ecosystem services.
- In-situ and tank-based experimental measurements for calibrating ecosystem service assessment models based on the measured parameters.
- Functional measurements under varying environmental conditions (turbidity, temperature, hypoxia, etc.) to test recovery capacity and estimate critical thresholds for organisms.
- Development of indicators based on experimental measurements of ecosystem functionality of species and habitats.
